William and Jean Astrop's woodland garden wasn't planned by a renowned landscape designer but by one who knew their backyard inside and out -- their late golden retriever, Bear.
Years ago, Bear and Shadow, a neighbor's Labrador retriever, loved to run circles through the half-acre space behind their Philip Trammell Shutze-designed home. Before long, the canine pals created meandering pathways around the garden. Those same trails, now neatly mulched and lined with an impressive collection of hydrangeas (some 185 of them), were the basis for a garden that has evolved with their lives.
The couple's Blackland Road garden will be featured on Saturday's Artful Garden Tour benefiting the High Museum of Art. The tour includes six private gardens in Buckhead, Chastain and Sandy Springs neighborhoods.
With the help of Ray Padgett, the Astrops updated their 1938 home to incorporate a system that directs water from their gutters to a 6,000-gallon cistern hidden under a patio and arbor. That water is recycled, and flows through a waterfall, stream and into the pond -- a favorite spot for Baloo, the family's newest golden retriever.
The water also irrigates the landscape, which includes a formal lawn, boxwood parterre garden and woodland plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas, tall magnolias and blueberries.
Through the years, storms and age have claimed some 15 trees in the garden, Jean Astrop said, leaving one bright spot where she can grow sun-loving plants, such as colorful Knock-Out Roses.
"You can't kill them, and they won't stop blooming," she said.
At the center of the landscape are a garden shed and patio. That area, too, has evolved, she said, explaining the site has been used by previous owners for everything from a military hut to a basketball court.
Her garden is filled with memories along the paths, she said: Azaleas rescued from a demolition site, irises given by a friend and statues she purchased from a late friend's estate.
"I think of her every time I see them," said Astrop, a member of the Cherokee Garden Club.
And in another corner, by her compost pile, she grows even more hydrangeas given to her as hostess gifts.
"Everything we receive for the home goes out [there]," she said. "It's like a gift garden."
Event preview
The High Museum of Art Atlanta's Artful Garden Tour. 10 a.m. -- 5 p.m. Saturday, rain or shine. $25. Tickets available at each garden and www.high.org/gardentour
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